Concrete-block machine



yan, 2o. 1925.

v.c. J. I YoNs CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE Filed Sept. 18, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l yan1., 20. i925.

C. J. LYONS CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 18, 1923 Patented Jan. 2U, i925 uns TATES teaser PATENT QFFECE.

CHARLES J". LYONS, OF MNNE-APOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSXGNOR TO AMANDA C. LYONS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA,

Application filed September 18, 1823.

To all whom t may Concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. LYoNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concrete# Block Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a machine for making concrete blocks or similar molded articles. Concrete blocks are now commonly used in various building operations and are usually made in a mold box in which the material is placed and tamped by reciprocating plungers.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a machine comprising a plurality of preferably reciprocatingtamping plungers operated by dierentially arranged double lifting cams.

t is a further object of the invention to provide such a machine having a locking means for each plunger to hold the same in elevated position, which locking means have a common operating member, the operation of which is controlled by the driving shaft which operates said plungers.

It is still another object of the invention to provide such a machine as above stated in which the locking means and mechanism for operating the same may be adjusted to lock the plungers after any desired number of reciprocations.

rFliese and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in Which- Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of the machine;

Fig. 4L is a vertical section taken on the line 4 -4 of Fig. 1;

CONCRETE-BLOCK lVIACI-IINE.

Serial No. 663,403.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a partial plan view of the machine;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the structure of the cam used; and

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, Figs. 3 to 8 being shown on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, the machine comprises a frame having four upright posts 1 rectangularly arranged and which are connected by the transverse members 2 and the forwardly and rearwardly entendL ing members 3. The lower members 2 and 3 carry a platform ,Lon which is supported the mold box 5 which receives the concrete and in which the block is tamped and formed. The frame members 1 are further connected by forwardly and rearwardly extending members 6 below the lowermost members 2 and 3.

Secured to the spaced forward members 2 are guide bars 7 from which project spaced pairs of lugs 8, the space between the lugs of the respective pairs being formed with right-angle corners. Guided between the lugs of the respective pairs are vertically reciprocating plunger members 9, each of which is formed of reversely arranged angle bars 10 spaced by and secured to rearwardly projecting lifting dogs 11. The forwardly disposed sides of the angle bars 10 move in contact with the bars 7 while the edges of said sides move in Contact with the inner sides of the lugs 8. The lugs 8 are bored to receive headed and nutted bolts on which are journaled the rollers 12, which rollers are arranged to contact with. the rear surfaces of the forwardly directed sides of the angle bars 10. The plungers 9 are thus held firmly in vertical position for reciprocation. Secured to the lower ends of the plungers 9 are tamping heads 13. Each tamping head is formed of two similar parts 14 having flat bottom surfaces, said parts having their forward and rearward sides of rectangular shape, the sides adjacent each other being of smaller dimension than the remote sides and merging into said remote sides on a curve. The upper portions of the parts 14 are formed as flat rectangular shanks 1lia which are received and carried between clamping yokes 15 atv each side thereof and connected thereto by the headedv and `nutted 'clamping bolts 16 extending through said shanks and yokes. The yokes are also recessed to receivethe lowerendsi)EL of the iplungers 9,r whichends are also connected to the yokes Y15-by the yheaded and nutted bolts 17. It will be noted, as shown in Fig. 1, that the/portions l0a aie continuations of the rearwardly directed sides of the angle bars 10.

The plungers 9 are alternatelylifted and droppedby cams 18 mounted upon a driving shaft 19 extending Atransversely 'across the machine and journaled in bearings 20 secured to the intermediate members 3,1wliich shaft is equipped with a driving pulley 21 at one side of the machinefTheref is na cam 18 for each plunger 9 and `each of said cams comprises a hub member 22, -as shown in Figs. 7 and S, securedgto the shaft 19 by a,

suitable set screw, which' hub-"has a circular central flange thereon. Bifurcated arms `23 are bolted to said ianges at their linner portion and at their outer portion have journaled therein rollers 2-1 carried on suitable headed and nutted bolts extending through the outer bifurcated portions of said arms. There are two arms 23 for each of thehubs 22 and said arms are disposed substantially atan angle of ninety degrees. `As shown in fFig. 2, the cams are so arranged -asto cooperate wit-li the under surface of the lifting dogs 11. y

Locking means are provided for holding the plungers 9 in elevated position which comprises bell crank levers 25 mounted in angle brackets 26 secured toA the forward intermediate ymember 2. The levers'25 have an upstanding arm provided with av forwardly extending project-'ion 26` adapted to extend rearwardly between 'the angle bars 10 and to engage the undersurface ofi-the lower lifting dog 11. The `levers-are normally urged to such position by tensile spi-'ing 27 secured adjacent the 'outer ends of therforwardly projecting arms of said le;` vers and to the upper' forward meinber- 2. The levers are held in inoperative posi-` tion indicated in dotted, lines in Fig. 4*, for permitted to assume operati-ve position by y a transverse Ybai' 28v 'guided ina slotted wardlyinclined cam surface adapted to en-V gage and depress the forwardly projecting arms of lever 25 when the bar is moved longitudinally. Tlhe bar '28 `is connected at its end opposite'to lever 3() to a horizontally swinging' lever 31 which passes through said bar and extends to-'the rearofthe machine where itis secured by a vertical pivot to the rear intermedia-te member 2. The inter- 'niediateportion of the lever 31 is recessed to fit over the driving shaft 19 which is 'equipped with screw threads 19a so that the said portion of lever 31 acts as a nut on said thread. The forward end of the lever 31 is'bent downwardly and pointedand serves placed in position under the: tampingheads 13. vThe driving shaft 19 will now be driven by a suitable'belt applied tothe vpulley 21. The cams 8 will be driven andthe rollers'21i thereof will .fen/gage lthe V"lifting dogs 11. The advancing roller wifi engage the. upper dog 11 and Vlift the plunger a certain distance ywhen the following roller will engagel the lower dogl 11 and further v lift the plunger. yThe following roller tlien moves from under the lowerdog 11 andthe plunger is allowed to drop, the tamping head 13 striking the material in theA mold and pressing the same. The cams 18 are equally spacedl :aboutV the shaft 19' so that the plungers 9 are lifted at 'different times. If it is desired to hold the levers in'ielevated position, the bar 28 can-*be moved to allow the forwardly projecting :arms fof levers `25 to move into tlie vslots 28a and the piojecV tions 26 will then move under the lifting dogs 11 when the plungers areA sufficiently raised. elevated posi-tion by the vleve-rs y25. The ma- `cli-iiie can be arranged so that the plungers willV makev several; l'reciproeations 'and then be held* in elevated position. Thisis vdone by disposing the lever 3-1 in thegsci'ew thread 19a. As the shaft 19 revolves the lever will be moved by the screw threads aiidfwillfmove bar 28. W'henthe bar' has been `iiroved" 'to' allow the levers 25 to move said levers will The plimgers will tlrus be fliel'd in neA come into position-to hold the plungers el'ei vated. It is obvious-'th'atfby 'placing the lever in any desired positieiron-'the screw I'19L that the plungers will be tripp'edaf-tiei" making the desirednumber' of' reciprccations. The reciprocation of the 'jiblfungers can. then again be resumed by opera-tin'g'tlie lever 30, at which time the lever 3111 moves over the threads 19a. 'Y

From the abovedescription it is seen that applicant has provided a very simple' and eliicient machine for tamping'andmaking the concrete blocks. The parts of the machine are few and easily and ruggedly made and the machine will operate with a minimum of attention for maintenance and repair. The machine has been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successful for the purpose intended.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above stated and such as shown and described and set forth in the appended claims.

lVliat is claimed is:

l. A concrete block machine having in combination, a frame, a plurality of plungers vertically reciprocable therein, a driving shaft, a lifting cam on said shaft for each plunger, a locking device for each plunger' for holding the same in elevated position, and a common means operated by said driving shaft for positioning all of said locking devices in operative position.

2. A concrete block machine having in combination, a frame, a plurality of plungers vertically reciprocable therein, a driving shaft, a cam for each plunger having two circumferentially spaced lifting rollers, two lifting dogs on each plunger coeoperating, respectively, with said rollers, said cams being equally spaced about said shaft.

8. A concrete block machine having in combination, a frame, a plurality of plunvertically reciprocable therein, a driving shaft, a lifting cam on said shaft for each plunger, a locking device for each plunger', comprising a bell crank lever normally tending to move to operative position, a bar contacting one arm of all of said levers, said bar having spaced notches therein and inclined cam surfaces adjacent said notches and being movable to permit said arms of the bell crank levers to move, respectively, into said notches or to cam said arms downwardly to move the levers to inoperative` position.

el. The structure set forth in claim 3, a screw on said driving shaft, a swinging arm connected to said bar and engaging said screw to be moved thereby and move said bar.

5. A concrete block machine having in combination, a frame, a plurality of plun gers vertically reciprocable therein, a driv ing shaft, a lifting cam on said shaft for' each plunger, means on said driving shaft for differentially lifting said plungers, a locking device for each plunger to hold the same in elevated position, a common means for controlling all of said locking devices', means on said driving shaft for operating said last mentioned means including an adjustable member engaging the means on said driving shaft whereby the plungers can be locked after making different numbers of reciprocations.

6. A concrete block machine having in combination, a frame, a plurality of plungers vertically reciprocable therein, spaced guiding means for said plungers, each comprising a bar having pairs of spaced projecting lugs, said plungers contacting said bar at one of their sides and contacting said luOs with their edges, and rollers carried by said lugs contacting the other side of said plungers.

7. A concrete block machine having in combination, a frame, a plurality of plungers vertically reciprocable therein, said plungers each comprising spaced parallel angle bars, lifting dogs between said bars to which they are secured, and tamping heads secured to the lower ends of said bars.

8. A concrete block machine having in combination, a frame, a plurality of plungers reciprocable therein, a driving shaft, a lifting means on said shaft for each plunger, a spring actuated stop for each plunger, means engaging said stops for holding the same in inoperative position and movable to permit the same to move to operative position, and means directly engaging said drive shaft and operated thereby for moving said member.

9. The structure set forth in claim l, said means comprising a bar movable transversely of said plungers and a member engaging a screw on said driving shaft for moving said bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES J. LYONS.

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